Lack Of Education Leads To Lost Dreams And Low Income For Many Jehovah's Witnesses

[Jeremiahcp]

And your experience is just that...yours. That does not speak for all JW's....its just another negative story. They are a dime a dozen. When does an "ex" ever say anything good about you?

"They are a dime a dozen."

I believe that is the problem.

 

[Deeje]

I never made a choice not to believe; I never believed in the first place and there has never been a point in my life where I did believe.

I am sure you've had a happy, prosperous and educated life. I hope you've enjoyed it.

 

[ADigitalArtist]

And your experience is just that...yours. That does not speak for all JW's....its just another negative story. They are a dime a dozen. When does an "ex" ever say anything good about you?

Sorry Charlie, you can't and won't invalidate my experience just because they're not to your liking.

By the same token, people in a blooming abusive relationship rarely tolerate negative things said about their abusive partner.

 

[Deeje]

"They are a dime a dozen."

I believe that is the problem.

No, not a problem at all. It shows that we have standards and that they are not negotiable. No one is forced to do anything.
If you aren't one of us...there's the door....you are free to go.

 

[Jeremiahcp]

I am sure you've had a happy, prosperous and educated life. I hope you've enjoyed it.

I fairly content, and very happy to have the education I do have, and I love the fact I am not bogged down by silly religious beliefs.

 

[Jeremiahcp]

No, not a problem at all. It shows that we have standards and that they are not negotiable. No one is forced to do anything.
If you aren't one of us...there's the door....you are free to go.

"It shows that we have standards and that they are not negotiable"

If your standards create an unnecessary disadvantage then being unwilling to compromise on them is not something to be proud of.

 

[Deeje]

I fairly content, and very happy to have the education I do have, and I love the fact I am not bogged down by silly religious beliefs.

I am happy for you. Go in peace.

If you have no desire to live beyond this life, then your expectation will most likely be met. There will be no disappointments, will there?

I am not forcing you to believe. In fact, no one can be forced to believe anything against their will.

 

[Deeje]

"It shows that we have standards and that they are not negotiable"

If your standards create an unnecessary disadvantage then being unwilling to compromise on them is not something to be proud of.

You say that with such conviction.....yet what do you really know about JW's and their standards? What unnecessary disadvantage do you image we place on our members?

 

[Jeremiahcp]

I am happy for you. Go in peace.

If you have no desire to live beyond this life, then your expectation will most likely be met. There will be no disappointments, will there?

I am not forcing you to believe. In fact, no one can be forced to believe anything against their will.

I am fine with death.

 

[Jeremiahcp]

You say that with such conviction.....yet what do you really know about JW's and their standards? What unnecessary disadvantage do you image we place on our members?

You can read about it here:

Lack Of Education Leads To Lost Dreams And Low Income For Many Jehovah's Witnesses

 

[Altfish]

Tell that to religious Asian communities (particularly in the West.) If your kid ain't a doctor or lawyer, they're a failure.
.

Agreed, but I did say 'schools' not 'pupils' and those families that send them to proper (ie non-religious schools) do fine

 

[Deeje]

You can read about it here:

Lack Of Education Leads To Lost Dreams And Low Income For Many Jehovah's Witnesses

Lost dreams? No way. Our dreams are amazing. We have so much to look forward to.
Low incomes? You don't have to be a JW to earn low wages. Choosing to live a simpler life is actually very liberating.

I have addressed the accusations in that link......Now tell me what you "know" about Jehovah's Witnesses and their standards that you feel gives them an unfair disadvantage compared with the average person in the street?

Please don't tell me what you imagine or what you glean from one sided sob stories posted on the net....what do you actually know about us? Please be truthful. I was not always a JW. I came from a mainstream church upbringing where I found they upheld no standards at all. I tried atheism for a while but I couldn't stand its emptiness and lack of meaning. I had too many questions.
I chose to become a JW because of what they believe, how they answered my questions, and because of the standards they live by, with no apologies to anyone. They are the most peace loving people on earth.

Its so easy to be an armchair critic....or to have a bad experience and blame the entire brotherhood for your reaction to that experience.

Live and let live is a good policy. Offering something to someone and forcing it on them are two different things. We all have the same choices in life....as it should be. We will all 'reap what we have sown'. That's fair, isn't it?

 

[Jeremiahcp]

Lost dreams? No way. Our dreams are amazing. We have so much to look forward to.
Low incomes? You don't have to be a JW to earn low wages. Choosing to live a simpler life is actually very liberating.

I have addressed the accusations in that link......Now tell me what you "know" about Jehovah's Witnesses and their standards that you feel gives them an unfair disadvantage compared with the average person in the street?

Please don't tell me what you imagine or what you glean from one sided sob stories posted on the net....what do you actually know about us? Please be truthful. I was not always a JW. I came from a mainstream church upbringing where I found they upheld no standards at all. I tried atheism for a while but I couldn't stand its emptiness and lack of meaning. I had too many questions.
I chose to become a JW because of what they believe, how they answered my questions, and because the standards they live by, with no apologies to anyone. They are the most peace loving people on earth.

Its so easy to be an armchair critic....or to have a bad experience and blame the entire brotherhood for your reaction to that experience.

Live and let live is a good policy. Offering something to someone and forcing it on them are two different things. We all have the same choices in life....as it should be. We will all 'reap what we have sown'. That's fair, isn't it?

"I have addressed the accusations in that link......"

No you haven't. You don't represent all JWs, sorry to say.

 

[psychoslice]

"I have addressed the accusations in that link......"

No you haven't. You don't represent all JWs, sorry to say.

I don't respect all JW's either, so what ?.

 

[Deeje]

"I have addressed the accusations in that link......"

No you haven't. You don't represent all JWs, sorry to say.

Just as I thought....you have no idea.....apart from second hand information.

And I did address the link. Please read my first response.

 

[oldbadger]

Lack Of Education Leads To Lost Dreams And Low Income For Many Jehovah's Witnesses

The article, which is well worth reading in it's entirety, is based on interviews with over 100 people who grew up as Jehovah's Witnesses.

Do parents and/or religious leaders have a moral right to limit a child's education in such a way that the child is handicapped when pursuing his or her dreams? Note: I'm not talking about a legal right here, but instead, a moral right.

If you think parents and/or religious leaders have a moral right to limit a child's education, do you also believe the government possesses the same right? If not, why not?

The penny has just dropped!
I saw a thread about Depressed Teens and suicide levels and posted in it, referring to this thread.
I now realise that the 'dep[ressed teens;' thread is actually answering this one in a way.

I would like to copy my post from that thread diectly on to this one, I just hope that is allowed.

Around here JW youths are very busy industrious folk who seem to be very contented and happy, and, ;'yes', they do seem to be involved more with Trades than Professions, but that might be a bright move, given the encroachment of IT?

Here was my post:-

Interestingly, in another thread, the OP shows evidence that Jehovah Witness children achieve less academically than others, with a lower undergraduate degree success ratio.

I can tell you that JW youth in my area are contented, happy, busy, positive-thinking people, mostly employed in Trades such as electrical, plumbing, roofing., building, plastering, gardening work which fits with a less pressured academic life, resulting in a more profitable and happy existence in trades which might not suffer so much from IT incursion.

And, 'NO', I am not a JW, but an observer.
If you want your children to be successful offer support and assistance, and let them find their own academic level...... AND BE PROUD OF THEM.

 

[SomeRandom]

Agreed, but I did say 'schools' not 'pupils' and those families that send them to proper (ie non-religious schools) do fine

Fair enough.

 

[SomeRandom]

Hmmmm....did no one ever think to ask a JW about this issue instead of getting second hand stories from the disgruntled ones who felt like they were missing out on something wonderful?

You'd think that JW's were some sort of anti-education dumbos who want to keep their kids in ignorance. The two leading stories in that article are not the whole story.....by a long shot.



Do you know the difference between not being "encouraged" to do something and being "forbidden" to do it?

The children of Jehovah's Witnesses are not forced to abandon hopes for a higher education.....it is, after all left to the children when they are of age to make their own decisions about their education and their spiritual choices. Being raised as a JW does not guarantee that the child will choose the same spiritual path as their parents. But at the same time, parents are responsible for educating their children about the ever present dangers that are waiting for them out there in the world.

The reasons why university education is not encouraged is mainly because of the moral and spiritual climate that are common at such schools of higher learning. Can anyone doubt the validity of this statement? For our children, who are raised with high moral standards, the immoral activities that take place on campuses is a real moral danger. The world has lost its moral compass.

As for science being the reason why some might reject God and creation.....I can only think that those are the people who might have rejected him anyway. Many among our brotherhood are educated in different branches of science and medicine, having achieved their degrees before becoming Jehovah's Witnesses. There are also a lot of tradesmen in our ranks, so tertiary education is by no means frowned upon. Online courses are also a good way to gain a degree in a chosen field.

But higher education never leads to happiness when all it does is fuel a desire for a materialistic lifestyle. "Things" never make you happy for long.....it becomes a never ending addiction to transient material pursuits that often leads to serious debt and unhappy relationships. It doesn't guarantee a job either. I know many young people who gained university degrees who still haven't found work in their chosen field. Why do so many people think a higher education is so special?

We prefer the Bible's counsel to be 'content with the present things'....not continually looking for the next fad or fashion or addiction to waste money on. We also prefer the Bible's recommendation to live a simple life.....being materially poor but spiritually rich engenders a sense of satisfaction in life that no material things can equal. We would rather clean offices and windows and have time to serve God, than slaving for a master who can never be satisfied.



What makes you think that we don't care about the education of our children? It is the law that they must be educated, so we encourage our children to make the most of their school years and use that knowledge to serve a better 'boss'. The wages he pays can't be matched by any human employer, and he has fringe benefits that most people would die for.

These are the sorts of articles that the gullible swallow because they can't be bothered to find out the actual truth.

Thanks to @SomeRandom for putting some perspective on this topic.

If I may ask, and I hope you don't think me rude or that I'm trying to criticize your faith. But, if JW children are raised with very high moral standards, why would they be in moral danger in University? Surely such morally grounded and upstanding youths would be able to withstand the pressures of University, especially since Uni age is typically after the rebellious experimental teenage phase (at least in Australia.) By your early 20s you're past the teenage antics and are starting to learn how to adult, how to live on your own and you're starting to really mature at that age. Yes I had me some wild nights, and I'm not exactly mature even now, but it's not like peer pressure affected us the same way it did in High School. We had already figured out our limits and our morals by Uni age. I had many peers who would abstain from alcohol or what have you for religious or other personal reasons. It's not like they were bullied or made fun of or shunned. We were past such immaturity by then.

 

[Jeremiahcp]

Just as I thought....you have no idea.....apart from second hand information.

And I did address the link. Please read my first response.

"Just as I thought....you have no idea.....apart from second hand information."

It is based on a statistical analysis done by the Pew Research Center; all you have is your opinion.

"And I did address the link."

No you have not, you just started blathering on with your personal opinion. You have not said one thing to rebuke the study. I doubt you even looked at the actual study itself.

 

[Hockeycowboy]

Lack Of Education Leads To Lost Dreams And Low Income For Many Jehovah's Witnesses



The article, which is well worth reading in it's entirety, is based on interviews with over 100 people who grew up as Jehovah's Witnesses.

Do parents and/or religious leaders have a moral right to limit a child's education in such a way that the child is handicapped when pursuing his or her dreams? Note: I'm not talking about a legal right here, but instead, a moral right.

If you think parents and/or religious leaders have a moral right to limit a child's education, do you also believe the government possesses the same right? If not, why not?

Let's get this out there, how 'bout it?

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